Anyone carry a motorcycle on back with AHC? (1 Viewer)

[Sventvkg]

I was thinking about putting heavier duty springs and maybe airbags if needed, but I’d like to keep my AHC because it works perfectly. I want to put like a 350 to 400 pound dual sport motorcycle hitch mounted on the back and then I pull the whole thing with my class A bus. Was wondering if anyone had done something similar with that type of weight?

Also, I know the heavy duty springs such as the Ironman will definitely lift the back up a bit and I want a 2 inch lift. Is there any kind of spacer I could add to the front in conjunction with maybe a sensor lift so I could even it out if I get the whole thing worked out?

I’m going to be weight conscious on this build and I will put a swing out tire carrier but I’m going to probably end up keeping the rear bumper. I may replace the front bumper with something like dissent with a winch etc. I just wanna know if this is realistically feasible. If it’s not, I’ll bite the bullet and spend a few grand for a new standard suspension with a lift.

 

[J1000]

I have done it with my Airlift 1000 air bags and it works great. Same with towing or loading up the cargo area. I kept original springs and just added the airbags. AHC doesn't know the difference.

 

[Sventvkg]

I have done it with my Airlift 1000 air bags and it works great. Same with towing or loading up the cargo area. I kept original springs and just added the airbags. AHC doesn't know the difference.

this is great! Thanks. Did you get an onboard compressor?

 

[J1000]

this is great! Thanks. Did you get an onboard compressor?

No I just fill it with a normal air compressor and check them every few months when the weather changes. 3psi for driving around town, 5psi for light loads, and 10psi with heavy loads.

 

[kevgentile]

Bumping this topic back up instead of starting another thread, and looking for input as to the ahc systems ability to manage the task described below.

I am going to be driving the lx from DC to Nola and would like to avoid renting a uhaul trailer to transport my Ducati superbike along.
I am considering using a black widow hitch carrier and loading the cargo area up with an additional few hundred pounds of totes.
The bike comes in around 400 pounds, at the moment not sure what the carrier comes in at. I should come well under the total recommended capacity of 1250 lbs with the tongue weight coming in at around 500 lbs. I have read various postings of the max tongue weight but I am going by the 650 lb max which would be above my needs.

I recently went thru the ahc and the pressures are currently at 6.9 (f) and 6.1 (r), with approx a 3/4" - 1" lift.
I don't want to do any springs/bars or bag upgrades at the moment since this isn't going to be a typical load for the truck and not in the budget.

I am going to load up the cargo area this weekend and check the pressures. I don't have the carrier to load the bike as well so I won't be able to do the same pressure check.

I'm sure I'll be pushing at, if not pass the capacity of the system but looking for input/advice from others that may have asked the same demand from their ahc system.

 

[kevgentile]

After searching for a while on various threads regarding similar topics related to towing, tongue weights, and AHC, with the exception of a few; most utilize rear air bags and or high rate springs and spacers. I did read where the few that did rely solely on the AHC did so with good success and the system was able to function well with tongue weights over 500 pounds, sometimes well over.

One bit of info I have never come across regarding the AHC is the system pressures while loaded up to the allowable factory limits of 1250 lbs. Maybe this info is posted in the fsm but I have never come across it. I'd be curious to what Toyota lists as an "allowable" pressure at a given load. Maybe none of this matters as long as the static unloaded pressures are within spec and the system can adjust as necessary?

For reference, I decided to check my pressures with the second row folded up, the third row deleted, and the entire cargo area loaded with a few hundred pounds of gear. To simulate the weight of a motorcycle carrier plus the bike I lowered the tail gate and had 3 of weighing about 550 lbs sit on it while observing the pressure change of the AHC system.

Unloaded static: (f) 6.9 (r) 6.1

Fully loaded in 'N' height; (f) 6.2 (r) 9.1, these pressures are loaded without height adjustment (N to L to N).

Fully loaded in 'N' height; (f) 5.8 (r) 10.2, these pressure changing heights from N to L back to N while loaded.

Again, maybe none of these loaded pressures mean anything. I'm just curious what Toyota calls a "normal" operating range.
In the end I was able to retain the Neutral height setting while fully loaded very close the the maximum cargo capacity with a 500 plus lbs tongue weight.

I had considered up-rating the springs but not at the point where the truck will see these loads much at all. I did decide to go with a set of Airlift 1000 bags just as a precaution and get some weight transfer back to the front axles.

 

[Sean9421]

After searching for a while on various threads regarding similar topics related to towing, tongue weights, and AHC, with the exception of a few; most utilize rear air bags and or high rate springs and spacers. I did read where the few that did rely solely on the AHC did so with good success and the system was able to function well with tongue weights over 500 pounds, sometimes well over.

One bit of info I have never come across regarding the AHC is the system pressures while loaded up to the allowable factory limits of 1250 lbs. Maybe this info is posted in the fsm but I have never come across it. I'd be curious to what Toyota lists as an "allowable" pressure at a given load. Maybe none of this matters as long as the static unloaded pressures are within spec and the system can adjust as necessary?

For reference, I decided to check my pressures with the second row folded up, the third row deleted, and the entire cargo area loaded with a few hundred pounds of gear. To simulate the weight of a motorcycle carrier plus the bike I lowered the tail gate and had 3 of weighing about 550 lbs sit on it while observing the pressure change of the AHC system.

Unloaded static: (f) 6.9 (r) 6.1

Fully loaded in 'N' height; (f) 6.2 (r) 9.1, these pressures are loaded without height adjustment (N to L to N).

Fully loaded in 'N' height; (f) 5.8 (r) 10.2, these pressure changing heights from N to L back to N while loaded.

Again, maybe none of these loaded pressures mean anything. I'm just curious what Toyota calls a "normal" operating range.
In the end I was able to retain the Neutral height setting while fully loaded very close the the maximum cargo capacity with a 500 plus lbs tongue weight.

I had considered up-rating the springs but not at the point where the truck will see these loads much at all. I did decide to go with a set of Airlift 1000 bags just as a precaution and get some weight transfer back to the front axles.

Another thing you have to consider is you're going to have a lot of weight far behind the rear axle and that is very different than loading the back cargo area due to the leverage. I carried my son's dirt bike all the time on a hitch carrier without issue, but when I put mine one there ( Honda crf250 rally, about 360lbs) it was sketchy, and I added airbags. It's still sketchy because it's a lot of weight in the hitch and you really have to plan how to strap the bike to the carrier, and even better strapping the carrier to the truck somehow like to a roof rack to prevent it from moving/swaying. When we ride together, we have a trailer and it's way better in every aspect.

Since you've mentioned not wanting to change your truck, and this will only be a one time thing, I'd just rent the uhaul, it will probably be cheaper to rent a trailer than any damage you could cause to your truck/ahc/bike.

 

[kevgentile]

Another thing you have to consider is you're going to have a lot of weight far behind the rear axle and that is very different than loading the back cargo area due to the leverage. I carried my son's dirt bike all the time on a hitch carrier without issue, but when I put mine one there ( Honda crf250 rally, about 360lbs) it was sketchy, and I added airbags. It's still sketchy because it's a lot of weight in the hitch and you really have to plan how to strap the bike to the carrier, and even better strapping the carrier to the truck somehow like to a roof rack to prevent it from moving/swaying. When we ride together, we have a trailer and it's way better in every aspect.

Since you've mentioned not wanting to change your truck, and this will only be a one time thing, I'd just rent the uhaul, it will probably be cheaper to rent a trailer than any damage you could cause to your truck/ahc/bike.

Securing the system isn't too concerning, only the weight transfer. I posted up the question since I had no experience with the lx/ahc's ability to cope with the tongue weight.

The carrier is a bit custom and utilizes the Pit Bull TRS so no straps are needed to keep the bike locked in.
Also using turn buckles from the carrier to the rear tow hooks on the frame which should help stabilize the carrier and also keep it from sagging too much. After a lot of searching for a solid anti-rattle clamp I believe I found the best on the market, aside from literally welding the carrier to the hitch.

I would like for it to work since it could be ideal for track days and potential other trips. If uprated spring rates can significantly improve the front end handling then I'd be willing to take the step and just keep some gear in the rear cargo to make up for the needed weight when not toting around a bike.

50/50 feedback, some have had good experiences and others, not so much.

 

[MechE30]

I drove around plenty with my Beta 399rr and a slee rear bumper with only AHC and King Springs helping. I’m sure pressures were higher than they should have been but I didn’t have any issues.

 

[kevgentile]

I drove around plenty with my Beta 399rr and a slee rear bumper with only AHC and King Springs helping. I’m sure pressures were higher than they should have been but I didn’t have any issues.

I'm sure it felt lighter but how did the front end feel? The Beta is probably 125+ pounds less than my Ducati 848 but the rear bumper probably comes close to making up the difference, if not more. I think I read the slee weighs in at 250'ish, but that seems high even with all the extras. I thought of dropping the front end as well to transfer a bit more weight on the front.

If I find the handling acceptable my plan is to modify the hitch and the carrier to run 2 additional tubes as draw bars so it will be secured a 3 points and virtually eliminate all rock and roll.

BTW, Beta's rock! Will be getting a RR-S to run the TAT.

 

[MechE30]

Yeah I think with my slee full swingout rear bumper it would be pretty close to your Ducati. I put plenty of highway miles on, nothing notable to mention. For sure you can tell there’s a bike back there but it didn’t ever seem scary even with winding mountain highways. Airbags would have been nice though!

 

[MechE30]

One thing to note, I like the idea of the triple link. With my spare tire sitting between the bike and back hatch it felt like an extra layer of protection for the truck in case the bike were to shift/bounce.

 

[MechE30]

Found this post from a while back

Post in thread 'The MUD 100 series Photos thread'
The MUD 100 series Photos thread - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/the-mud-100-series-photos-thread.91953/post-14317492

 

[kevgentile]

Found this post from a while back

Post in thread 'The MUD 100 series Photos thread'
The MUD 100 series Photos thread - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/the-mud-100-series-photos-thread.91953/post-14317492

I'm close to wrapping up a custom carrier. I made up some brackets that bolt to the left and right side of the frame using existing holes and weldnuts.
These brackets will attach 2 additional 2x2x0.250 tubing on the L and R side of the main hitch tube.

It's a bit heavier than an off-the-shelf unit but I'll have all the load spread across 3 supports and anchored to the frame over a span of 15", so a lot of the additional weight is inboard the hitch receiver. The big bonus is no bounce, sag, or sway of the carrier and the bike. The design is centered around my Pit Bull trailer restraint system (TRS) that allows the bike to anchor to the platform without the need of straps compressing the forks and shock.


I rarely take pics while working but I'll try and remember to grab a couple of the end result to give ya a better idea.

 

[kevgentile]

Update:

Finally getting around to posting my results with the carrier project. Made a 1700 mile trip from DC to Nola via the Blue Ridge Parkway, Deals gap, and Natchez Trace. The AHC with the Airlift 1000 bags was fantastic and performed flawlessly and felt little ill effects of the extra overhanging weight on the rear. Even "cruised" down the Tail of the Dragon and numerous other tight twisty mountain roads with the bike hanging off the back end.
It turned out to be so much better then hauling a trailer. There were times I need to U-turn on the parkway and run off into ditches etc, and a trailer would have been so much more difficult or impossible. Very satisfied with the end result.

I think the biggest factor with ride quality was the design of the carrier. Since it spreads the load and reduced all movement and flex, it reduces the see-saw effect that "off-the-shelf" units have a lot of, which amplifies the bounce on the suspension.

It's a bit heavier than other units but I designed it so the wood planks easily remove so I can step into the framing and maneuver the carrier with greater ease. Kinda like picking up a deadlift/trap bar.

 

[kevgentile]

 

[kevgentile]

Going to add a front wheel chock next. My existing Pingle chock wouldn't fit without cutting and welding so I just used a couple straps to keep the triple straight. Doesn't really matter as it sits in one place and doesn't move around but makes me feel better when the bars are clocked straight ahead.

Also need to come up with a "baggy" system to keep the bike clean. Got caught up in some rain and what a mess. Might possibly add a bolt-on deflector on the section of the carrier between the bumper to reduce the spray.

Regardless, this turned out to be so much better then lugging around a trailer through Appalachia.

 

[kevgentile]

Oh yeah, forgot another big bonus was the 15.5 mpg average over the 1700 miles, including a lot of 2nd gear climbs and descents in and out of the the BRP and the Smokies. Natchez trace is relatively flat, the northern TN terminus being the exception, so I was hitting nearly 16.5 mpg.

Would not have been even close to these numbers with a trailer.

 

[Hokie LX]

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I like that you incorporated the TRS into your carrier. I used those in my trailer with my track bikes and they're amazing.

 

[kevgentile]

I like that you incorporated the TRS into your carrier. I used those in my trailer with my track bikes and they're amazing.

They are a great product. been using it since 2015 and wouldn't do it any other way.